Chen-ou comments:As one of the Eight Auspicious Symbols, the lotus flower represents
"the complete purification of body, speech and mind, and the blossoming of wholesome deeds in liberation."
The allusion adds religious significance and spiritual depth to the poem.

The Buddha spoke gently, "Once a person is caught by belief in a doctrine, one loses all one's freedom.

When one becomes dogmatic, that person believes his or her doctrine is the only truth and that all other doctrines are heresy.

Disputes and conflicts all arise from narrow views. They can extend endlessly, wasting precious time and sometimes even leading to war. Attachment to views is the greatest impediment to the spiritual path.

Bound to narrow views, one becomes so entangled that it is no longer possible to let the door of truth open."